They are together now just about every day on the practice field. Playing catch. Working on techniques. Building a solid chemistry. Pass after pass, catch after catch, they keep the intensity up and the throttle pushed to the limit.

Ryan Tannehill and Mike Wallace will be the first to tell you that their initial season together fell well short of expectations. And that has got to change. Has to change for Tannehill to reach another level as a young quarterback. Has to change for Wallace to continue to justify his top-tier salary among NFL receivers.

You think this offseason is important? For these two players, it is huge. Because these two players, in so many ways, are bonded together. Sure, this new Dolphins offense now offers many intriguing options, more than any year since Tannehill arrived. How well Tannehill spreads it around, how efficiently he makes the most of the pieces that are now available, will have so much to do with the success of this offense.

But none of it, in my mind, can compare to the importance of Tannehill and Wallace developing an on-the-field rapport that they simply could not master in their first season together.

“Well, it’s big, it’s big time,” Tannehill said after a recent OTA practice. “I think it’s one thing you look at from last year, connecting more. Not only on deep throws, but connecting more on every pattern. Mike has been working hard this offseason and putting forth a lot of effort and that’s exciting.”

Added Wallace who will be moving around more in this new offense: “I feel so much better heading into this season. We’ve been working hard together. I missed one day and we’ve been together the rest of the time. There is no reason we shouldn’t take it to another level this season.”

On the surface, last year’s level wasn’t so bad. Wallace set a career high with 73 catches and he came 70 yards short of another 1,000-yard season. He made some huge catches, scored some big touchdowns. But it is what could have been that has stayed with Tannehill and Wallace through the long days since the season concluded.

How many times was Wallace wide open and Tannehill simply could not hit him in stride? Each game brought more examples, more frustration. Think about all the plays they left on the field, all the moments that could have been theirs for the taking, all the touchdowns that could have meant the difference between an 8-8 record and a spot in the playoffs.

Yes, Wallace finished the season with five touchdown catches. Without stretching the imagination much at all, that number could have easily been 10. The fault doesn’t lie solely on Tannehill’s broad shoulders. Wallace will be the first to tell you that. There were communication issues. They were mental breakdowns. There were a few drops.

But nobody is laying blame. Nobody is harping too much on what could have been. Instead, you’ve got Tannehill and Wallace out there on the practice field just about every day. Working on timing. Working on technique. Working on mastering this new offense. Working on building a trust that is so important between quarterback and receiver.

“Oh yeah, there is a lot of improvement between us,” Wallace said. “I really believe this year is going to be different. We are developing a good feel for one another. We’re going to learn from everything that has happened.”

This is a crucial season for both players. It is crucial for Tannehill to continue to advance in his third season, to eliminate some of the mistakes that have troubled him in his first two seasons and to generally take his overall game to another level. It is important for Wallace because he was brought here, and paid handsomely, to be a difference-maker, to light up the scoreboard with long distance plays and game-defining moments.

Each will tell you that he needs the other to succeed, that it remains imperative that they solve the mystery of the deep pass, that they feed off of one another and develop a confidence-level that transfers into better performances and more consistency.

So each day, or just about, they are together now. Deep throw after deep throw. One more pass. One more catch. Then another. And another. Got to keep pushing. Got to keep building that trust. Got to get that timing down just right. Got to make sure that next season a long pass floats gently into Wallace’s hand, catching him stride, giving him a real chance to produce points.

“We’re moving in the right direction,” Wallace said. “We’re really getting a solid feel for each other.”

And it must continue. It must build. It must show its face this season early and often. Ryan Tannehill and Mike Wallace are hard at work, determined to build something special. How well they succeed, how they grow together, means so much to the success of this football team.

Please Note:
The opinions, analysis and/or speculation expressed by The Finsiders Blog represent those of individual writers, and unless quoted or clearly labeled as such, do not represent the opinions, policies or desires of the Miami Dolphins organization, front office, coaches and executives. Writers' views are formulated independently from any inside information and/or conversation with Dolphins officials, including the coaches and scouts, unless otherwise noted.

We made a big mistake when we brought Mike Wallace in. Sure he is fast but what is speed when you cannot catch the ball ? This the reason Pittsburgh got rid of him is that he cannot catch the ball. We have to eat this one and wait for his contract to run out. Vince Jackson would have been a better pick up and for less money. JSMH

I’m so glad they’re working together and that this article points out what I noticed all season– Tannehill’s inability to hit him on the deep route. I got to the point of saying that Tannehill is a decent QB but his deep acuracy is just awful. Maybe there’s more to the story. Let’s hope b/c as the article states, if Tannehill and Wallace are able to make those deep connections, last year wouldd be an entirely different season. As far as this year goes, let’s ope they make that next step AND the OL is able to gel and keep young Ryan on his feet! Go Fins!

Until they show differently, the past several years have shown Miami to be an 8-8 club that can be +/- 2 games based on QB play and team health. I have and will continue to have every confidence in Ryan Tannehill. I have been to training camp (not to mention every home game he ever played) and have seen his arm in action. It is NFL caliber and so is his mind. He has two flaws in his game. Pocket presence and awareness issues, and deep ball accuracy issues. The pocket issues I feel are mostly a product of inexperience (only 19 games in the NCAA opposed to 40+ by his peers)… And a horrific O-line who seemed intent on getting him killed. I believe that issue may have been addressed and we should so vast improvement. The Deep ball issue may improve, but it is what it is. Ryan may NEVER be a long baller. He may get 10 or 12 40+ yard passes a season. Listen… If THAT is Ryan’s worst issue… Ryan is in GREAT SHAPE. It is something he can get better at, but I don’t think it is a deal breaker by a damned site. The last QB that Lazor worked with, Nick Foles, Doesn’t have anywhere near the arm RT has. If the O-line can give Ryan time, and if the running game gets back on track. This is a 9-7 team without much drama. If this group really gets their act together and does what they are capable of, 10 wins is well within reach. I watched a less talented team win 11 games in 2008. It’s about staying healthy and executing when it matters. THAT was what that team did. I said it a week ago… I’ll say it again… I have Miami at 10 wins. Not from Homerville. I call it how I see it. I think this was a 10 win team LAST year. It all boils down to Ryan Tannehill, the O-line and a team being a team staying healthy.

hey gridiron…i dont think this is up there with the best but i do think the defense will play better…but i dont see this team doing anything more than 8-8 i dont see philbin being that super bowl winning coach oring art do i believe that tannehill will be anything better than an average starting QB in the league.
untill we get a great football mind running this team look for the phins to do no better this year than last

The 3 biggest things that happened this off season the PHINS got a new GM,a new OC.and the best thing A NEW AND DEEP OL!!!!! ….I know the OL haven,t been tested yet but anything is better then what we had last yr. no team can be any good when you give up 58 sacks thats an NFL RECORD!!!!!! BYE IRELAND. It did,nt help much when your OC came up with worst game planning i,ve ever seen in a game over and over BYE SHERMAN……just think the phins went 8-8 last yr. with what we had now look at us….WE ARE GOING TO SURPRIZE ALOT OF PEOPLE, THE PHINS HAVE A CHIP ON THEIR SHOULDER, WE WILL GAIN RESPECT THIS YR. …….I,M SORRY I JUST FELL IT…GO PHINS!!!!!……AT LEAST 11-5 SEASON

The 3 biggest things that happened this off season the PHINS got a new GM,a new OC.and the best thing A NEW AND DEEP OL!!!!! ….I know the OL haven,t been tested yet but anything is better then what we had last yr. no team can be any good when you give up 58 sacks thats an NFL RECORD!!!!!! BYE IRELAND. It did,nt help much when your OC came up with worst game planning i,ve ever seen in a game over and over BYE SHERMAN……just think the phins went 8-8 last yr. with what we had now look at us….WE ARE GOING TO SURPRIZE ALOT OF PEOPLE, THE PHINS HAVE A CHIP ON THEIR SHOULDER, WE WILL GAIN RESPECT THIS YR. …….I,M SORRY I JUST FELL IT…GO PHINS!!!!!……AT LEAST 11-5 SEASON

Seeing these improvements so early in OTA’s, makes you wonder when looking back on last year, if Sherman didn’t want his offense to succeed. Sherman’s offense last year was as stale of an offense as I have ever witnessed in my 50 plus years of watching football. It wasn’t just one part of the offense, that was stale, it was all of it, and he never did anything, to change it. The most predictable snap count in NFL history, The most predictable break of the huddle that I can ever remember seeing, and after they broke the huddle, they lined up in the exact same position on ever play. Sherman rarely ever moved receivers around to different sides or switch slot receivers with wide outs, and they ran a vanilla flavor of routes. Sherman had 3 or 4 routes out of one lineup, and you could bet your bottom dollar one of those 3 routes were going to be run.

There was several changes in the O-line, but that was because of player breakdown, and locker room child’s play, not because of any decisions that Sherman made. When it came to situations where we just had to run the ball to get a first down, he wouldn’t run it, he chose a pass play instead, a deep one, knowing it would likely be off target. The list of things done wrong on offense last year, goes on and on. It virtually seems endless. And I can’t help but to wonder, if this was the intentional plan of Sherman all along. If Sherman, for some reason, wanted his offense to fail? It sure appears that way at times.

Since the arrival of Bill Lazor, we’ve all had an idea, that he would use some version of Chip Kelly’s offense, but we’ve never been completely sure, and we spent the entire off season contemplating what it would look like. Now that we finally get a peak at his fast paced, high octane, high output offense, it’s cause for some excitement around here. It’s reason finally to get pumped up about an upcoming season, one to get very excited about and make training camp something worth keeping up with. I think that even the most pessimistic of fans, might just have a little optimism between now and the start of the season. We finally have a producing offense again in the works, one that should give us those 30 plus points a game that we have missed for years.

Everything seems great until you get punched in the face…. I am pumped about the season, but I will hold off on any predictions until I see how we perform in the face of adversity. With that being said, we better come out the gate and send a LOUD AND CLEAR MESSAGE to the pats on opening day….. Anything less than 42pts on the board against them and I am upset… #Fins4Life

Well I find myself constantly repeating the same thing over and over but “I am friggin pumped”. This year will be the year I expected us to have last year. So it is a year late. Better late then never. My fellow Phin fans our climb out of mediocrity begins now and I say to you all “see you in the promise land”. PHINS UP!!!

I can’t say enough how ‘HUGELY!’ disappointing the Mike Sherman offense was. He’s finally gone and, I hope I don’t have a reason to find someone else to blame. One thing for sure, it can’t get much worse than what they were doing the last two years. My 79 year old mother could have called a better offensive plan.

I said it once & I’ll say it again; Once Miami starts taking care of business within their own division the divisional championships will start coming. I believe this Miami team is the most talented team we have had since Dan Marino retired. Now is the time Miami MUST start dominating our own division. IMO Miami MUST win AT LEAST 4 of the 6 divisional games each year to start winning the division each year.

I said it once & I’ll say it again; Once Miami starts taking care of business within their own division the divisional championships will start coming. I believe this Miami team is the most talented team we have had since Dan Marino retired. Now is the time Miami MUST start dominating our own division. IMO Miami MUST win AT LEAST 4 of the 6 divisional games each year to start winning the division each year.